


The Reason For Being Me

by Ultimateblack



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-09
Updated: 2016-10-10
Packaged: 2018-08-14 00:56:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7992691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ultimateblack/pseuds/Ultimateblack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A lovely day off for Officer Judy Hopps turns into a heart-to-heart with Nick Wilde. Taking place after the events of the missing mammal case, Nick has to decide what he wants to do with his life and whether he is up to the job of becoming a police officer. Some time after Bellwether's arrest, Nick and Judy carry on with their daily lives, free from the imminent threat that had shadowed the city. However, it seems like Nick's history has begun to resurface. This, is a story of friendship and budding feelings, how the past affects the present and the future.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Descendant of Robin Hood

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! If you're reading this story then I welcome you on a journey beyond your Wilde-st dreams :D Pardon the pun, but yes, I love Zootopia and this is my work as a fan. Due to a lot of ambiguity in the movie, I have my headcanons and interpretations, so there will definitely be some divergence in this story from the movie, but not that much. 
> 
> Disclaimer: Zootopia belongs to Disney Studios. This story is purely fanmade property with no other intentions than to provide joy to readers. Enjoy :)

Nick Wilde coughed and sputtered, fanning his tongue with his paw. The burning sensation filled his mouth, numbing his taste buds. His tongue felt like a thousand ants were crawling all over it. Next to him, Judy Hopps tried to hold in her mirth but was visibly failing.

"I told you it was hot, but you didn't believe me," she laughed. Nick glared at her.

"I know it was hot, but I didn't expect it to be scalding," he grumbled.

The two friends had just left Cuzmo's Coffee, one of the lesser known coffee shops in the city located at the lonelier parts of the metropolis. Judy came across it when she was on a case, took pity to Mr. Cuzmo and bought a drink. To her pleasant surprise, the coffee actually tasted better than StarBucks, and it was cheaper too. Soon, she became a regular and tried to get her fellow cops to check the place out. At the moment, she was with Nick on her off day. They were headed to the latter's apartment, located Southwest of Downtown, just twenty minutes away from the stadium where Gazelle frequents for her concerts.

"Duh, it's hot coffee. You were a little too excited to drink it," Judy said and rolled her eyes.

"You said it was nice. I trusted you." Nick pouted, pretending to look hurt.

Judy didn’t buy the act. She knew he was just bluffing so she snorted. "Yeah, like you didn't trust me when I said I was a real cop." She thought back to the first time they met each other. Hopps had been a meter maid back then, but she had finally gotten the respect she deserved, thanks to Nick. What if she had never met her new best friend? What if she had never followed him into the ice cream shop with intentions of apprehending him? 

I wouldn't have had a lead to solve the case at all, and I would probably be home now, selling carrots with my parents, she realised. She grudgingly admitted that her prejudice had truly done her good, although in an unexpected way. It was fate that they had met, and it was fate that had saved her sorry butt from losing the dream career she had put so much effort into getting. She had to admit, she was definitely naïve and foolish, for staking her new job over something like that. She subconsciously felt her pocket where her police badge was, only to discover that it wasn't there. Judy panicked for a moment before spotting Nick holding it in his paw, smirking smugly.

"Hey!" Judy swiped her precious badge back from the fox and stored it in her other pocket where it was harder for Nick to reach. "Nick, stop doing that."

The fox shrugged and blew the steam off the surface of his coffee before taking a careful sip. "Then you should probably be more careful with your belongings, carrots. This is Zootopia, not the carrot farm where you came from. There are thieves everywhere, and there’s one right there who is dumb enough to try and pickpocket a cheetah of all animals,” he said as he pointed across the street. Sure enough, a weasel was racing down the walkway with a brown wallet in his paw while a slim male cheetah was gaining on him, teeth bared in anger. 

Unfortunately for the large cat, he was stalled by a crowd of animals he had run into. The smaller and slimmer thief wove his way through the gaps between legs of the passer-byes and belted across the street, dodging the oncoming cars that blared their horns in annoyance. 

“Someone stop that thief! He has my wallet!” the cheetah wailed desperately.

The weasel snickered at his lucky getaway, but he hadn’t counted that he’d be running right into Zootopia’s first and best bunny cop (who happened to be out of uniform) and her trusted sidekick. All he saw was a bunny and a fox standing next to each other, yet more pedestrians that he’d push out of the way. Thus, he certainly didn’t expect Nick to toss his entire cup of scalding hot coffee into his face. Blinded by the still-steaming liquid, the weasel tripped and fell face down onto the hard concrete, his grip on the wallet failing and he threw it into the air. The brown object landed right in the centre of open Nick’s paw. 

The crowd of animals gasped and watched on as the thief writhed on the ground, trying to wipe the coffee off his facial fur and snorting to remove the liquid from his nostrils. When he finally did, he opened his eyes and glared at Nick. “What on earth, mate?” he yelled and lunged at the fox, only to hit the ground again, with Judy on his back.  
“You are under arrest for theft, mister,” she announced as she handcuffed the weasel.

“What? No! You got it all wrong, that’s my wallet! He was the one who stole it from me,” the weasel protested, indicating the cheetah that was running up to them.  
Nick chuckled and said, “Uh huh, which is also why this wallet belongs to Mr. Dash McGuire the cheetah eh?” He flipped the brown holder open and showed an ID card with the owner’s face on it. 

The weasel paled and stuttered, “N-no, I don’t know how that got in there. I’m innocent, please!”

“I should think not,” a gravely male voice came from behind Nick. The fox looked up to see the towering figure of Officer Fangmeyer in full uniform, folding his arms and frowning down at the handcuffed criminal. “Well done, Officer Hopps. I’ll take it from here,” he said as he lifted the small mammal by the scruff of his neck, the weasel whimpering at the sight of the tiger’s narrowed eyes. Dash McGuire had also joined the party, snarling at the fearful thief. 

“You’re about to get what’s coming, coward,” he spat, causing the weasel to shriek and curl into a ball to protect himself. Fangmeyer raised a paw and spoke, “Calm down, mister. You will have to come with me to the station for a while. We’ll solve this the right way, okay?”

Mr. McGuire snorted, not taking his furious eyes off the mammal in cuffs, but he didn’t act irrationally. Nick cleared his throat and called, “Hey McGuire, this is yours.” The cheetah looked down and saw the red fox holding his wallet in an outstretched paw. Taking it and checking to see if all the contents were present, Dash smiled when he found that nothing was absent. 

“Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it. Is there any way I can repay you?” he asked gratefully. Nick shrugged, not really caring about repayment.  
“It’s alright, you don’t need to repay me now. Maybe some other day when I need a favour,” he replied. Dash nodded eagerly and handed him a business card. Apparently, Mr. McGuire was a businessmammal working for a sports equipment company.

Nick grinned and pocketed the card. Extracting his sunglasses from his breast pocket, he put them on and gave Dash his signature two-fingered salute. “Come on, carrots. Let’s go,” he called and crossed the street. The traffic lights had just conveniently turned red and the cars had all stopped before the pedestrian lines, their drivers peeking curiously at the spectacle. Judy followed, but not before taking her own cup of coffee which she had unceremoniously handed a stranger who stood nearby, staring awestruck. The crowd then dispersed as ordered by Fangmeyer, of them returning to their daily lives as if nothing had happened. 

This was yet another day in the golden city of Zootopia.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the fox and rabbit duo resumed their trek back to Nick’s apartment, Judy couldn’t help but beam at her friend. Pride was what she was feeling at the moment; Nick’s quick thinking had resulted in the nearly effortless apprehension of a criminal. Theft was a petty act, but Judy remembered that Weaselton’s robbery of what appeared to be mouldy onions was a part of an underground plot to turn against all predators. Small as pickpocketing may be, it was still a step in bringing Zootopia a step closer towards the scum-free dream. 

“What?” Nick asked, his snout facing forward but Judy knew from the slight tilt of his head that he was looking at her through his shades.

“Nothing. Here you go.” She thrust the coffee cup at him. When Nick raised an eyebrow, she explained, “You lost your coffee because of that weasel, so you can have mine.” The fox smiled and took it. He sipped the warm coffee, then he sighed contentedly. “No kidding, this is better than StarBucks,” he remarked.

Judy giggled. “Say, that was some cool action back there. You’d make a fine cop. The ZPD could really use someone like you.”

Nick snorted and handed her the coffee. He had refused her offer before, and this wouldn’t be the last time. “Don’t be silly, carrots. We foxes don’t do well with the law enforcers. We’re not famous for being law abiding citizens, very much the opposite in fact.”

The rabbit ran in front of him and stood there, forcing him to halt his steps. “You’ll just have to prove them wrong. No-one thought a bunny could be a cop, but here I am. Come on, Nick, show them that foxes are more than con-artists.”

The last part was a stab to Nick’s feelings. Pursing his lips, he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked around Judy. Realising what she had just said, she gasped in horror and hurried to catch up with her friend. “Oh I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. You know, I was just saying, not all foxes are the same and you’re very different. But there are some foxes who—”

“Enough, carrots. I get it,” he said in a firm but soft voice. “Everyone has their reasons for doing what they do. What is yours? Why did you become a cop?”

Judy was taken aback by the question. "Well… it was my dream. I used to live on a farm, in a small town on the southern outskirts. There was a Sheriff that I respected a lot and I wanted to be like him. I wanted to help make the world a better place."

Her fox companion grunted and replied, "I'll tell you mine when we get home. We're almost there." They two walked in silence for the rest of the journey. They came up to a weathered apartment block. They took the elevator to the sixth floor, where Nick's home was. The fox unlocked the door and let his friend in. "Welcome to the Fox's Den, mi casa."

At the doorstep was a dark maroon mat with yellow woven words ‘Welcome’. Empty flower pots were stacked upside down, but there was a small one with a turquoise floret sitting on the window sill. Judy walked in and looked around. The house was small but comfortable, unexpectedly clean and dust-free. However, there was a musty smell in the air, causing the bunny to wriggle her nose.

Judy had only a room in an apartment to rent, whereas Nick had the complete quarters to himself, which made her slightly envious. It was fully furnished, had a wholesomely equipped kitchen, and three rooms. It wasn’t brand new, but she thought Nick was pretty fortunate to own such a decent home. She wondered if there were other animals that stayed there, and the answer to her question present itself when she came across a locked door with the nameplate Finnick hung on it.

"Do you like it?" Nick asked as he locked his door. He chucked the keys over his shoulder without looking and it landed in a small basket of stationery.

Judy nodded absently as she studied the pictures on the walls. A few of them were family photos and others were of himself. A photo of young Nick with his parents and a birthday cake. A photo of Nick and his parents with fireworks in the background. A photo of an adolescent Nick carrying a baby female fox in his arms. A photo of a teenage Nick chasing the small female fox as she held his GameKid in front of her. A university graduation photo with Nick and his family.

"Those were my parents, and that was my sister Rena," Nick said sadly. He touched the frame of the graduation photo in which all four of them were grinning at the camera.  
Judy noticed his choice of words. "Was?" she asked him, "What happened?"

Nick hung his head. "I lost them in an earthquake. My parents didn't make it and my sister’s body was never found." That was nine years ago, a week after his convocation. A family vacation that was supposed to a celebration had ended in tragedy. He fought the tears that came to his eyes when the horrible memory surfaced.

Judy's ears drooped. She had apparently brought up a sore subject. She took his paw and held it in her own. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Nick sighed. "Don't worry. I'm sure they're in a happier place now." He looked at her and tried to smile. "Take a seat, I'm going to show you something," Nick pulled out of her grip and went to rummage his room.

Judy sat down on the sofa for a few moments before Nick came back holding a bow and a quiver of arrows. They were carved out of oaken wood. The red fletchings were ruffled and the string looked like it could snap anytime. She looked back and forth between her reddish-brown furred friend curiously.

Nick smiled. "This bow and arrow set has been passed down in my family for generations. Have you heard of the legends of Robin Hood?"

Judy scratched her cheek and nodded slowly. "I have. I think my mother once told it to me and my siblings as a bedtime story. If I remember correctly, it was about an archer who…" Her eyes widened and she leapt down from the sofa. "Is that what I think it is?"

The fox gave her a positive nod and ran a paw over the wooden bow. He turned it around and showed her the underside of the upper limb. "It even has his name here."

Judy stared at the name in awe. She was up close and personal with the living descendant of a supposedly mythical being. "How many animals know about this?" she asked.

"None other than my family and now, you."

Hopps felt a sense of pride and was touched by Nick's trust. "Wow, this is amazing… But how does this relate to you?"

Nick set his precious heirlooms on the table. He sat down on the couch and crossed his legs, clearing his throat before he spoke, "After I came home from my… unpleasant induction ceremony with the Rangers, I swore that I would show everyone what they wanted to see: a deceitful fox. I think my dad saw through it because he told me tales of Robin Hood and his Sherwood friends almost every night after that. He said that Robin Hood was a great being who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Most versions of the story nowadays don’t say that he is a fox because apparently, a fox can’t be such noble,” he said bitterly.

Judy took the bow and examined it. The wood was surprisingly well-preserved for an antique like it. She lightly plucked the string, and the taut line vibrated in a low pitched hum. Unlike what she expected, the thin rope did not break into half. Nick watched her and continued his story.

“Dad told me that although the world didn’t see us as good mammals, we would still try and prove them wrong because someday, somebody would understand.” He smiled at Judy, who returned it. “And he did manage to get through to me cuz I softened up and aspired to be like my new idol after that.”

"You don't expect me to believe that you steal from the rich to give to the poor, do you?" she scorned.

"Yes. No. Not exactly. Well, I started doing this when I was twelve and continued in college and university. Rich bullies who picked on others, they were my targets. Wealthy snobs who flaunted their cash, you got it. I took a part of my... earnings for myself and gave the rest to my poorer friends. The way I saw it, if the rich buggers could afford to live life luxuriously, they could afford to buy us some food and bare necessities. I never took more than I need to."

“Then what about that time you scammed me into buying you a jumbo pop?”

Sighing, Nick replied, “Those times were different. When I was younger, the world was so simple. I saw rich brats, so I punished them for being so and helped others. But after I lost my parents, I sank into depression. I couldn’t get a job easily because corporate companies didn’t like hiring foxes to work for them, and my parents were never that well off in the first place. Unlike the way I used to help others, nobody came to my aid when I was in need. I realised that the world wasn’t cruel, it was just me who was too kind.  
I blamed everyone for my miserable life. I blamed the Junior Rangers for forcing me to wear the mask of deception, I blamed God for taking my family away from me, and most of all I blamed the city for being how it has been towards foxes.” Tears flowed from his eyes and Judy hugged him comfortingly.

“So I decided that the city didn’t deserve a Robin Hood anymore. It deserved my cold wrath. I became a con artist, pushing all thoughts of getting a legal job, finding my Maid Marian and settling down. The anger I hadn’t felt since I was eight resurfaced, and I vowed to show the world that I would survive, even if it meant taking from others. 

“And that’s how I met Finnick. Boy, was it an absolute pleasure to scam the hell out of others, make them give me money without realising what they were actually buying.”

Officer Hopps frowned. Despite the cruel relish in the fox’s tone, she could detect a discernible amount of guilt and sadness. It was then that she knew Nick did hurt inside under the mask of coolness she always saw him wear. She gripped Nick’s paw tightly and patronized, “Is this what your parents would have wanted, Nick? Is it what your dad would have wanted? I don’t think he’d be happy if he knew you doing goes against his philosophy.”

He looked the Judy seriously. "My dad’s philosophy didn’t help me make a living. Let’s face it, carrots. I chose to be who I am, and I can't change that, not when I am already so deep in the mud."

Judy's gaze softened. "No, Nick, you can. You can start over, be rid of your past. I can help you find a job, I know a few kind people. What you're doing is not right at all, so let me help you. You opened my eyes, and we’re supposed to be mortal enemies, so what makes you think you can’t show the world that you are special?"

Nick avoided her gaze and stared at Robin's bow. His ears were droopy just like his friend’s, and his jaw was clenched tightly. She put her paw on his. "Change starts with you, Nick. Because only by changing yourself can you change the world. I know that much. Promise me you won't ever con again."

When he didn’t answer, Judy moved in front of him and cupped his face, forcing him to make eye contact. "Promise me?" she said fiercely, purple eyes gazing into emerald green.  
The fox sighed. "I promise." He pulled the bunny into a tight embrace.

"To think that I would have probably carried on doing what I did, if I hadn’t met you at all… Thank you," he said softly.

Judy smiled as she pressed her head into his chest. She thought about how he helped her in the past and how much they had been through. Their destinies had crossed, and now their lives were as tightly intertwined as they could be. 

She whispered back, "No, thank you."

And so they stayed like that for a while, silently enjoying the moment without a care in the world.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Judy's dilemma with the C-word has been a popular topic done quite many times by many people, and here's mine.

Judy's ears twitched as she heard the offensive word. She stopped in her tracks and looked around frantically to see who said it, but the animals continued walking around her, paying no heed. Giraffes strode past on their long legs, antelopes jogged by sporting running wear while listening to their iPods and the hamster brothers scurried past. Most of the pedestrians were either on their phones, talking to another animal or just walking silently.

Eyes darting in various directions but not detecting the speaker, she sighed. It must have just been her being overly sensitive. She continued her walk to the post office where Nick was.

As she walked to the entrance, she spotted a security guard sitting at the desk by the door. The brown bulldog looked up from his newspaper and at Judy. His nametag said Greg and he had a frown on his face. At least Judy thought it was a frown, she could never really tell with bulldogs. The bunny lifted a paw in greeting and Greg nodded his head gruffly before returning to his newspaper.

Judy opened the door and stepped in. Zootopia's secondary postage (the first being Zootopia Delivery) and shipping service was run by donkeys and horses. It was unceremoniously named Alucard's Shipping Services after its founder. Judy never understood why her fellow cops always snickered whenever the name was mentioned.

There were numerous branches around the city, and Judy was at the one nearest to Nick's place. The building was buzzing with animals. Some stood at the counters while the others either sat on the chairs provided. Medium full to packed, was how Judy would have described it, unlike the giant queues she saw when she and Nick had visited the DMV office. Thankfully the place wasn't run by sloths, or she would have screamed. It was completely against her nature to have things run at that horribly sluggish pace.

Judy looked around and spotted a familiar looking red fox. Nick sat in the crowd, typing away on his phone. He didn't seem to notice Judy walk towards him, but when she took a seat next to the fox, he said, "What took you so long? I thought bunnies were supposed to be fast."

The bunny rolled her eyes. "Have you seen Clawhauser? Cheetahs are supposed to be fast as well. What are you even doing here anyway?"

Nick checked the paper slip in his paw and glanced at the number being served. He was two numbers away. "I missed the delivery yesterday. I had to come and pick it up myself." A 'ding-dong' was heard and the number on the screen went up by one.

"What are you collecting anyway? I hope it's not something illegal," Judy said.

Her friend put a paw on his chest and pretended to look hurt. He said dramatically, "Aww carrots, you know me. I wouldn't possibly do something like that. Besides, I don't do illegal."

Judy was unperturbed. Her ears flattened behind her head and she glared at Nick.

"Shucks c'mon, whiskers. That was so long ago. I already spent the money and if I could pay the poor bloke back, I would have."

The cop shook her head. "Nick, you promised me you would change your ways. It's your first job interview in two days, is your resume even ready?"

Nick shrugged. "Hey, two days is pretty far away. Besides, today is Valentine's Day! We should be out celebrating or something like that. Today is a day for you to take a mind off work," he drawled happily.

Judy smiled, mildly amused. This was one of the times when she got exasperated by Nick and his attitude of not caring. But at the same time, she couldn't help but feel infected by his happiness. "Do you have a Valentine, Mr Wilde?" she teased.

The fox grinned. "Nope, not at the moment. Would you like to be mine, cutie pie?"

"I'll pass, and don't call me cute. Have you ever dated anyone before?"

Nick scratched his chin thoughtfully. Wrinkling his snout, he said, "Yes, a vixen or two. We never lasted though, most likely because foxes mate for life and we weren't all that ready to commit. And then there was this female…" his expression turned dreamy. "She was absolutely gorgeous, perfect in every way. Full of energy, optimistic to the core and just lovely to be around. Kinda like someone I know," he said, giving his friend a wink.

Blushing, Judy jutted her bottom lip. She pressed on, "What happened then?"

The smile faded from the fox's countenance, leaving an expression of melancholy and longing. "I don't know. She just… disappeared. Didn't leave me a message, didn't pick up my calls, hell she even packed her things and left. She ghosted me, the vixen I thought was the one ghosted me."

Another ding-dong sounded, and all around them animals looked up to check if their number was called. Feeling sorry for her friend, Judy placed a paw on his furry arm. She gave him an understanding look and whispered, "I'm sorry."

Nick smiled back at her. "It's okay, my existence has been nothing less of a rocky ride anyway. But enough of my love life, what about yours? I think you'd have already had lots of experience in this matter eh?" He waggled his eyebrows, causing Judy to elbow him.

"Much less than you think. I never had the time to pay attention about all of this. I was more focused on my studies and on preparing to join the ZPD. I was more of an oddball in my class, didn't fit in because I wanted to be different," she explained.

"Well, that makes two of us. Oh, there we go." The TV screen that displayed the queue numbers gave another ding-dong and now had Nick's on it. "Number 17… Where is counter 17…" he muttered as he scanned the numbers on the counter tops until he found the one he was looking for. Hurriedly getting up and striding over, he crossed the distance and came up to the counter where a female horse was sitting at. "I'd like to collect my package, thank you," he spoke politely, handing the worker a memo that was left in his letterbox, containing his shipping code and delivery details. The donkey read it and stood up without another word, clopping into the storage room where Nick's parcel was kept.

Judy walked up to the counter, barely reaching the top. Unlike the counters at the DMV, this one was quite tall and she had to tiptoe to see what was happening above. Nick tilted his head towards her and muttered, "You know, the horses who work here should probably smile more often, or take a break maybe. I can't help but wonder what's with their long faces."

Annoyed and amused by the joke, she tried to stomp on his rear paws. She forgot that she was tiptoeing, causing her to lose balance. Nick shot out his paw and steadied her, snickering at her expense. "Calm down, carrots. You don't have to impress me with such a feet." Judy groaned at the pun.

The mare returned with Nick's item. She slid it across the table top and then passed Nick a slip to sign. He did so and took his parcel, which was almost half his size and yet deceivingly light. It was wrapped in brown parcel paper and had a stamp for 'fragile object, this way up' on it. "Thank you ma'am, mare the force with you," he curtsied. The horse gave him a look and clicked on the computer to call the next customer in line.

After they exited the building, Judy inquired curiously, "what's in it?" Her friend grinned.

"You'll find out when we get to my place."

When they reached, Nick set his delivery on the coffee table and spoke up. "You know, there's something that had been bothering me for some time."

"Yeah, what?"

"Why can't I call you cute?" The first few times he called her cute, she had called him out for it.

The effect on his bunny friend was instantaneous. Her ears flattened against the back of her head, her lips pursed in annoyance, and her nose began twitching rapidly.

"See? You get upset whenever that C-word is said. Come on, tell me why it bothers you so much. We can't forever be running from our problems," he beckoned.

Judy folded her arms defensively, replying, "It's not that I don't like being called cute, it's just a rule that only bunnies get to call each other cute. When other animals do it, it's considered rude."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "And why would that be any different?"

A harrumph. "Because when other animals call us cute, it's derogatory," was her curt reply.

Flabbergasted by the answer that did nothing more than raise another question, he prodded deeper. "How exactly is that derogatory? You bunnies are cute, after all. It's a compliment."

Judy bristled, feeling insulted by her friend's ignorance. "No it's not a compliment. When we are called cute, it usually is an underestimating remark," she shot back in a raised voice. In a falsetto, she mimicked, "'Oh my, look at that cute bunny', 'I can't believe they'd choose a cute little rabbit for this', 'cute bunnies can't be cops'. It's insulting! They never use cute as a compliment, only to belittle us!"

Nick's jaw dropped. He also folded his arms across his chest. "I still don't get it. It's like saying elephants are thick skinned or mules are stubborn. It's just the truth, it's a definitive description."

Judy paced the living room in an agitated manner, practically screaming at Nick. "You don't understand, it is a word that is used to describe our entire species and not in a good way! Calling us cute is basically saying we are incapable of being anything else but soft, weak creatures. Most bunnies are farmers who live outside the metropolis and animals look down on us because of that. You don't like it when you're called shifty or sly, do you? Then why can't you accept that we don't like being called cute?"

Nick stepped back, startled by the outburst. He held his paws up, opening his mouth to reply but he was cut off by the raging officer.

"I thought that by becoming the first rabbit officer I could at least show the world that we bunnies are more than just 'cute', more than just dumb carrot farmers but it didn't change a single. Damn. THING!" she dropped to her knees, hugged herself and sobbed.

Nick pursed his lips. He squatted in front of Judy and said, "But you did show them. You solved the big case and saved Zootopia from a terrible fate. The people may not all recognise you at once but you sure inspired many rabbits to be something else. You have to be a role model, Judy. You have to show them all that you are not ashamed to be called cute and you won't let it get to you."

She glared at him with red eyes, shooting back, "What do you know?"

Snorting, Nick said, "Carrots I have been called sly, shifty, untrustworthy, a liar and many more names throughout my entire life and unlike you, those words don't have any other meaning than what they intend. You know what I think? You bunnies have taken the C-word and totally 'appropriated' it."

Judy sniffled. "I don't like it. It reminds me of how small I am, of how fragile I am. It's not nice."

"I know how you feel, Judy. My entire heritage and breed gets insulted all the time. But you, you have the right to choose not to get insulted. Will you stand up and defy expectations, show them that you accept you are cute but not beneath them?" He lifted her chin with a finger and locked eyes with her.

Judy sighed "Maybe… There are many who do not take lightly to being called cute. My brother once pounced on a raccoon for calling him cute."

Nick chuckled, picturing the humorous scene in his mind. "They'll just have to learn. But if it makes you feel better, I will try not to call you that."

"No… You get a pass. What better way to get started then by having my best friend put me to the challenge?" she replied. She stood up and exhaled deeply, now radiantly beaming down at Nick.

"That's the spirit, officer." Smiling himself, the fox rose to his full height and walked over to his forgotten parcel. He raised his index finger, sliding a sharp, hooked claw out of the cutaneous shaft and tore open the wrapping. The box underneath was glossy black, and when Judy got a good look at it, she found it was the casing of a 1/100 Darth Grazer building kit.

She gazed at Nick in surprise. "You build models? That's so—"

"Cute, I know," he interjected with a sly grin. "Just like you are. Oof!" Judy had tackled him onto the couch, eyes narrowed at him.

"You have uttered the forbidden word… Death by tickles!" There was no malice in her tone, and she had a cheeky grin on her face. Peals of laughter filled the apartment as the two friends got into another one of their tickle fights.

For Judy, it was a step towards changing herself, her perception of herself, and her perception of other's perception of her. As for Nick, he would one day watch proudly as Judy stands up to some ignorant blokes and admit that she was cute but she was not afraid to be called so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll just leave it here that I will show Judy's progress with the C-word in future chapters, just wait and see. Next update will probably arrive in about a month because I'm a slow writer. Apologies :P Hope you enjoyed!


	3. Jobless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fancy seeing Nick trying to get a job, going for interviews and stuff like that? Here you go!

This was a new experience for Nick. Never before did he have to sit down outside an office, waiting for his name to be called. Needless to say, he didn’t like it that much. He didn’t know much about interviews. In fact, this was the fourth time for him since he last applied for that Prefect post in grade school and those two job interviews ages ago after he graduated. That was so long ago that he had gotten rusty.

“Don’t worry about it,” Judy had assured him. “All you have to do is look good, answer their questions well and you should be well off.”

The thing was, when he did a bit of online reading, he wasn’t really sure how to answer them. He practised on his own and it didn’t go as smoothly as he hoped. So he procrastinated and busied himself with other stuff.

His resume was a pain to write as well. He would have never thought about getting a job until that talk a week ago and until Judy had slid a flyer across the table. He had never needed a job. Not long after he graduated he lost his parents in the earthquake and he tried to get a job. He was rejected for both and had to resort to what he had done well in the past – scamming and stealing. Finnick had been his business partner for years now, although there were several others that he had worked with before.

“Documents, check. Phone on silent, check. Looking adequate, check,” he muttered.

There was a row of blue plastic seats outside the door, which had the words “Manager Henderson” emblazoned on it. The fox fidgeted in his seat, trying to calm his nerves. He smoothed out his navy blue button-up shirt for the umpteenth time, picking at his collar. Blue didn’t really suit him. Green had always been his colour, but he hadn’t thought of getting one for this occasion. He mentally slapped himself for that.

He glanced around the hallway, taking in his surroundings. Animals in suits walked past him, holding documents in their paws or speaking into phones. A panther strode casually, sipping his mug of coffee. A bear lumbered past, glancing briefly at Nick out of the corner of her eye. A mouse scampered across the floor, chattering rapidly into his earpiece. Most of them raised questioning eyebrows or looked slightly surprised but none of them spoke. It made the fox squirm.

Gripping the document file on his lap tighter, Nick took a deep breath. Don’t let them see you vulnerable. Don’t let them know that they got to you. Remember your motto, Wilde, he thought to himself.  
Then, this shirt is making my neck itch.

His thought drifted off to Judy, who was at work at the time. He wondered what case was she on right now. It would probably be exciting. Judy had often told him about how she loved her work. The way she exaggeratedly described being a police officer was entertaining.

He was starting to wonder if he should have taken up her offer of becoming a cop. 

“Nick Wilde, come in. We will see you now,” a female voice came from his left. The door had opened and a lioness stood there. She was dressed formally from head to toe, sporting a nametag that said “Pam”. She gave Nick a kind smile. His heart beating fast, the fox put on his own grin and got up to enter the room.

As soon as he stepped foot into the office, Nick set his eyes on the interviewer and his possible employer. Mr Henderson was a badger, probably around 50 (in fox years). He saw on a black armchair behind his desk, drumming his claws on the table softly. Next to him was a vacant armchair, presumably for the lioness that had opened the door. He peered at Nick through the lens of the glasses that sat on his snout. “Good morning, Mr Wilde. Have a seat,” the badger said in a deep voice, waving a paw at the empty chair. It wasn’t as comfortable looking as what Mr Henderson had, but Nick sat down anyway, still smiling as he returned the greeting.

Pam, the lioness closed the door behind him and sat down next to Mr Henderson. She gave Nick a supportive smile that said good luck and he felt some of his confidence return. I’ve got this, he told himself. This shouldn’t be that bad.

To his dismay, Mr Henderson opened with the question he dreaded the most. 

“What can you tell us about yourself, Mr Wilde?”

Oh great, what should I say? 

No matter how he thought about it at home, he hadn’t been able to come up with an impressive answer. How could he possibly talk about this? 

He considered doing what he once told Judy during her first public talk, but decided against it. Distraction techniques wouldn’t be suitable in this context. Letting his smile falter a bit, he tried the sympathy ploy.

“Well sir, I lost my parents and sister in the earthquake years ago and am currently living alone in Zootopia, but that hasn’t gotten me down. I’m searching for a job that can support my future family. I want to contribute to society (ahem, and to this company of course), make my dead parents proud, you know?”

Nick could see that it the answer worked on Pam because she gave him a sympathetic look. Henderson, however, wasn’t so impressed. The manager asked, “What are your strengths?”

Ah, familiar territory. Nick relaxed slightly. This was one question he could answer. “Ah, my strengths. Um, I believe have quick thinking skills and am fast to respond. I usually find a solution to a problem relatively quickly and even if it stumps me I don’t give up easily. Also, I feel my marketing skills are quite good.” If they weren’t I wouldn’t have survived so long on scam sales.

Mr Henderson regarded the fox quietly for a while before moving on to the next question. The interview went on for what seemed like forever to Nick before it finally came to an end. Mr Henderson drank from the bottle of water on his desk and cleared his throat. He adjusted the round spectacles his snout and spoke, “Well Mr Nick Wilde, you do seem decent for a candidate of employment,” but his next words wiped the smile off Nick’s face. “Unfortunately, you do not meet the requirements we are looking for,” said the interviewer.

The badger glanced at Nick’s information on the resume. “You have a degree in Accounting and Hospitality but that was acquired around 8 years ago. You have been unemployed for so long and you had not tried getting a legal job. I assume the ‘sales experiences’ you have are from selling something by the roadside?” 

Nick bit his cheek. He had no response against that. There was nothing he could say to defend himself.

Henderson nodded. “That's what I thought. I’m sorry, Mr Wilde, but we cannot hire someone who has little actual working experience. Even if we did employ you, you’d be at the lowest rank of the hierarchy, an errand runner at most. I believe that is not of your best interests, yes?” 

Nick nodded slowly to that.

Henderson sighed. “It’s a pity actually. Emmit Otterton heard from your friend Ms Hopps that you needed a job and requested I give you a chance.”

Judy told Emmit? Nick felt grateful that his bunny friend actually went around helping him hunt for a job. Too bad it didn’t work out. That dumb little bunny really does care.

“Emmit told me that you helped save his life and since he is one of my close friends, I am grateful. I expected (and still do) more from you, Mr Wilde. But for the sake of the company, I cannot hire you yet for you do not meet our expectations,” the badger said.

His expression softened, “However, I will give you a chance again to apply for a post in the future. Perhaps you could work for a small firm and gain some working experience. Maybe I will see you again on your next job application.”

Feeling that would be the best offer he could get, Nick sighed. Even though he was disappointed on the inside, he put on his smile again and said smoothly, “I guess you’re right. I’ll take your advice. Good day to you, sir. Ma’am.” He shook their paws and exited the office. Pam watched him go sadly. “Better luck next time. Hope you manage to get a good job someplace else,” she wished him.   
After Nick left, she turned to Henderson. She commented, “You didn’t really want to give him a chance, did you?”

The badger’s lips curled. “You know me all too well, Pam. I was being honest when I said I was grateful, but it is a debt that I cannot repay in this way. At least, not just yet.”

“Do you think he will be back some day? He does have potential. I sense it in him,” she said softly.

Shrugging, Henderson said, “Who knows? If he ever does, and with a better CV too, then we’ll gladly accept him.” 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Over the next few days, Nick found out that getting employed was no easy task. He was turned down for every application, or the best answer he got was that they would ‘consider’ his application. Most of them told him he didn’t meet the requirements for the post, some were distrustful of foxes, and one of the interviewers (whom Nick had unwittingly insulted long ago) had him booted out of the door the second he walked in. 

Running out of choices, Nick had resorted to starting from scratch, working as a cashier at a fast food restaurant for a while. The pay was pretty bad and he went home every day smelling of grease. He did not enjoy it, but he tried not to let it show. The income, at least, reduced his reliance on the diminishing fortune he saved up over the years. He seriously considered going back to hustling with ol’ Fin, but his promise to Judy rang in his head and he pushed it out of his mind. 

While he was still constantly applying for jobs elsewhere, Nick had to hold on to his little job to sustain himself. So far the record was 23 rejections and 2 pending (though most likely they would meet the same conclusion as their predecessors). At least his meals were covered and the amount was enough to pay for his bills. He was lucky that he could just walk to work, otherwise commuting would have been an issue as well.

Everything was going smoothly so far, but it seemed that Nick was genetically programmed with bad luck because the peace wouldn't last.

Like all bad days, Nick’s came at an unfortunate moment. He had woke up later than he intended to, only to find that the power to the whole apartment block where the red fox stayed was cut due to a failure. So Nick had been forced to shower in cold water. Of course, he had no coffee and trudged to work grumpily, not even having time to stop by for a drink. To make things worse as the day progressed, a few customers kept switching their orders indecisively and insisted on paying with foreign currency. 

Nick reined in his temper, forcing a smile and instead getting the manager (who happened to be an intimidating rhino) to deal with the impertinent customers. The final straw came when a spoilt young elephant made a fuss over his food and threw a tantrum in the restaurant, chugging his drink all over Nick who had had the misfortune to walk past. 

For the first time since forever, the fox lost control of his emotions. The pent up frustration accumulation from the day burst through as the floodgates opened. He swung his paw across the young elephant’s face with a resounding slap. Every animal the entire restaurant turned their heads towards the scene and the realization of what he had done sank into Nick.

The fox paled as the kid stared back with a shocked expression and burst into tears. Nick panicked, cupping the calf’s face and saying softly, “No, don’t cry. Please stop crying. I’m so sorry…” The young elephant began to wail and his parents stood up, towering over Nick menacingly.

“How dare you!” the father roared. He moved forward to strike Nick who stepped back in fear but another shadow appeared behind the fox. The manager, Mr Turner, placed his hand on the elephant’s shoulder. 

“Enough, don’t disturb the others when they’re enjoying their meals,” he spoke in a deep voice. His tone was calm, but there was a slight hint of warning in it. The other customers took that as their cue to mind their own businesses. He glanced at the wailing kid, whose mother was trying to calm him. The rhino sprouted a toy and gave it to the youngling. He patted the calf on the head as his cries turned into sobs, perking up at the gift. 

The larger elephant relaxed and thanked Mr Turner. He then glared at Nick who cowered behind the huge rhino. The tusked mammal growled, “You should be fired. Your kind should not be allowed to work here.” Nick’s gasped. His ears flattened and his shoulders sagged. Trying hard not to have a breakdown, he ran to the back of the restaurant. 

Manager Turner frowned and shook his head. “That was not a nice thing to say. You hurt his feelings,” said the rhino, glancing to the back of the counter.

“He hurt my son! He deserved it.”

Turner growled. “Even so, it will not do for you to insult the entire fox species because of one individual’s actions.” He turned and walked to the back. He found Nick packing his belongings. The fox had changed out of the yellow uniform and was wearing his usual green shirt. 

Nick didn’t even look up as he said. “I’m resigning. It’s better than having you fire me.”

Sighing, Mr Turner spoke gently, “Are you going to let a hurdle like that stop you? All you had was a bad day. I sensed it the moment you reported for duty this morning that you woke up on the wrong side of the bed.” 

Nick shook his head. He zipped his bag and slung it over his shoulder. “That guy said it himself. My kind shouldn’t be allowed to work here. He’s right you know,” he replied defiantly. He had once resolved to live up to what people thought a fox was, and this was a good time to test his resolve.

The manager snorted. “You’re not thinking straight. You’re taking this too seriously. I’m doing you a favour here. Tomorrow everything will be back to normal.”

Staring back at Turner balefully, Nick said, “Sir, you are a very kind animal and I really, really respect how you have treated me for the past few weeks. But with all due respect, you are doing me and yourself a bigger favour by letting me go. I just can’t continue to damage the reputation of this branch.”

Both mammals locked gazes for a moment before the larger one sighed. Manager Turner could see the determination in the fox’s eyes and all arguments that he was being unreasonable died in his throat. The rhino closed his eyes and said, “Very well. Your resignation is accepted. Farewell and best of luck.” They shook paws and Nick exited from the rear, but not before promising to wash the uniform and return it later.

Nick’s apartment had not gotten the power back yet. After shivering through yet another cold shower, the fox sat on his couch and flipped through a magazine. He felt his head grow heavier and his body was beginning to ache all over. 

Great, now what?

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As opposed to Nick’s really horrible day, Judy was having a blast. She had just finished parking duty (despite all that she went through, Chief Bogo still gave her half a day of parking duty occasionally to remind her not to get too full of herself) and had finished all her paperwork. It was essentially free time for her now. She took out her phone and to text Nick.

‘Hey, are we going out for dinner tonight?’ she wrote. 

Oddly enough, his reply came a little later than usual. ‘Not tonight. Coming down with a cold,’ was his answer. That worried the little bunny. 

At the moment, it was still four in the afternoon. She still had an hour before her shift ended. But there wasn’t anything she could do for now. She texted back, telling Nick to get some rest and promising that she would be there right after work. When he didn’t reply, Judy knew that Nick had fallen asleep.

Immediately at 5 pm sharp, Judy hurriedly punched out and rushed from ZPD to Nick’s apartment. Using the spare keys that Nick had entrusted her with to unlock the door, she quietly walked in. She spotted her fox friend lying on the long sofa, wrapped in a blanket. A wet towel lay on his head and he was sleeping. Near the couch was a coffee table, the one Nick had opened his package on weeks ago. On it was a small pail, some medicine and a thermometer. 

Briefly glancing up at the still ceiling fan, Judy picked the thermometer off the coffee table and placed it in Nick’s mouth. He did have a fever, but he wasn’t burning up to dangerous temperatures.  
Slowly, his emerald green eyes opened and Nick tilted his head to look at his friend. “Hey carrots,” he said weakly.

Judy smiled faintly. She asked softly, “How are you feeling?”

“Pretty bad. It has been a long day,” he grunted, trying to sit up but Judy pushed him back down. “I had better,” he said. 

Judy couldn’t help but notice the bitterness in his tone. Something must have gone horribly wrong for him to not even mask his emotions. Not pushing forward, she said, “I’m going to make you some soup.” Then she hurried off to the kitchen.

When she opened the fridge, she frowned when the blast of cool air did not greet her. It then hit her that the apartment did not have any electricity. She had thought it was just Nick not turning on the fan because of his fever but it apparently was more. Thankfully Nick’s fridge was not full of food. 

“I can’t make soup like this… I’m going to order takeout,” she muttered. Picking up her phone, she rang up the nearest restaurant, the one Nick took her to once. She placed an order for herbal soup and gave the receptionist Nick’s address.

Meanwhile, she removed her vest and placed it on a chair. The heat was starting to get to her. Grabbing a magazine, she sat down near Nick and began fanning the air. Her fox friend slept fitfully, and it worried Judy to see him like that.

In half an hour, the soup had arrived. Judy woke Nick up, took a spoon and began feeding her friend. After the contents of bowl was almost completely gone, Nick was feeling a little better. He said, “You don’t have to do this, carrots.”

Judy rolled her eyes. “Nonsense, you’re sick. Taking care of you is my obligatory duty.” She fed him another spoonful.

Enjoying the sensation of the sweet, hot soup flow down his throat, Nick replied, “Is there anything that isn’t a duty to you?” 

Judy ignored him. After a while, she asked, “Did Mr Turner send you home early?”

Nick cleared his throat softly and looked away. “Um… yeah, he did.”

Sensing the lie, she furrowed her brow. “Nick,” she pushed on, “What happened?”

The fox looked back after a moment of silence. He said, “I quit.”

The answer shocked Judy. “Why?” she questioned.

“I couldn’t work there anymore.”

Again, she asked, “Why?”

Nick’s lips curled. “I just couldn’t.”

Sighing in annoyance, Judy reprimanded him. “Nicholas Piberius Wilde,” she started, causing Nick to wince, “you cannot just let your emotions take over logical reasoning. What are you going to do now?”

Massaging his stiff neck, Nick said, “I don’t know.”

“That’s not an answer.”

Anger surged through Nick again, but fatigue kept him from lashing out. “You have no idea what I went through today. It didn’t help when some brat decided to mess it up even worse and have his father insult my entire species thereafter,” said the fox with as much contempt as he could muster, but he still sounded pretty weak.

That’s it, Nick. Keep talking. Although Judy was taken aback by the outburst and reveal of information but she kept a straight face and listened.

Nick struggled to sit up. His body felt like lead and his head was throbbing. “I broke my rule of not letting anyone see my emotions, and worse I… I… I hurt a child,” he snarled, disgusted at himself. “His father said that my kind shouldn’t be allowed to work there.”

Judy’s expression softened. She placed the nearly empty bowl on the table and took his limp paw in her own. “Oh, Nick…”

Her friend squeezed her paw, his eyes closed and his lips trembled. “At first, it was those rangers; then throughout the years, it was everyone else. Why?! I just want a normal life, no matter how I kept telling myself that the world would see the sly fox that they wanted to see,” he choked out.

Judy felt heartbroken to see her friend that vulnerable. It was one thing to call and stereotype a bunny as cute but it was another to insult a whole race. It was kind of harsh to have said that. Admittedly, she had been prejudiced ad judgmental about foxes, but she had changed. Now from where she stood, she could see clearly how unfair she had once been, how biased the others still were. Thinking of her response for a second, she soothed, “For the record, it is okay to be vulnerable. We bunnies do benefit from being emotional after all.”

When Nick snorted, she continued, “You were never meant to be normal, because you are special. If I can see that, then everyone else will. They just haven’t seen it yet, and you haven’t shown them too.”

Nick opened his mouth and slowly closed it. “Then what should I do?” he questioned.

“What does your heart say?”

He held back the urge to respond with sarcasm. It sounded like a line from a fairy tale, with big dreams that come true. As long as you follow your heart and chase your dreams, you can achieve great things. He wished life was that simple as that. 

But Judy was living proof of what she said. She had big dreams of becoming an officer since young and tons of times she had been shot down by others. Her own parents tried to discourage her, reality had been cruel, and even he himself had been hard on her. But she still stepped up to the challenge, defied expectations and became the first rabbit officer of the Zootopia Police Department. 

It was then that Nick realised he was jealous of Judy. He was jealous of her being so strong, and he was jealous that she could still get up and try again even though life sucker punched her often enough. He admired her determination, and he had tried to change her.

Maybe after all this time, I was the one who had to change?

Internally, Nick asked himself what he really wanted. His childhood dreams to be a Junior Ranger Scout had been utterly crushed, leaving a psychological scar so deep that gave him resolve to live life as a conman. But deep down, he knew that his still had a pure heart. He hated seeing other being oppressed. He sympathized with them and wanted to help. 

Just like Robin Hood, he realised. 

He took and stole, but he never kept it all to himself. When he was ten, he pickpocketed from a rich pedestrian who kicked a homeless beaver’s coin cup, spilling the change everywhere, then he gave half of the money to the beaver. At the age of twelve, right after the horrible incident, he conned the school bullies out of their daily ‘lunch money’ using cheap magic tricks and little gambling games. He also got back some of the stuff taken by said bullies and gave them back to their victim owners. As an adult, a small part of his ‘income’ went to charity. 

Nick may have given up on his dream to join the scouts and achieve true acceptance, but the fox that enjoyed helping the needy, the young cub who looked up to Robin Hood, never died at all. He wanted to bring justice to the world, and there was a perfect job for that. He made a decision, one that he should have made ages ago.

“Judy, does your offer to be your partner still stand?”

Slowly, the rabbit’s lips widened into a smile. She reached into her pocket and drew out her wallet, picking a folded piece of paper from it. She handed it to Nick, saying, “When it’s you, Nick, it stands forever.”

The fox took the paper and unfolded it. He recognised his own handwriting. His heart melted knowing that Judy had kept the form after all this time. He pulled the rabbit into a fierce hug, which she returned. Just then, the lights returned and the fan began to spin. He broke the hug, his towel falling off his head.

“Thank you,” he spoke sincerely as he lay down again. 

Judy beamed and wet the towel, squeezing it dry and replacing it on Nick’s forehead. Taking the form and tucking the fox in, she said, “You’re welcome. Now get some sleep.” She stood up, turned off the lights and gave her friend one last look before she went into the kitchen to wash the bowl, leaving Nick to rest.

Nick stared at the ceiling. His thoughts turned to his parents and his sister. 

What do you know, mom, dad, sweet little Rena. I’m going to be a cop. I’m going to wear a uniform, just like I always wanted to. I hope you’re proud of me.

He went to sleep with happy thoughts, for once in decades. 

Perhaps life was looking up after all…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I received feedback from a fellow author on Fanfiction dot net that Nick seems off for giving up hustling and going straight, losing his temper at a child and all so just let me explain a bit.
> 
> Unlike our movie Nick, my version has a more tragic and emotional rollercoaster past. Movie Nick had no mentioned father, was poor and the worst experience was just the ranger scouts. If you have read my first chapter, then you'll realise that my Nick had a rocky childhood, but when he thought he had some happiness and normality, he lost his family and no-one ever helped him like he did as a wannabe Robin Hood. That left him bitter and hungry for a normal life for once, although fate didn't permit it and he had to hustle a living and put up with discrimination. I hope that makes you understand how my version of Nick is different and if you're not getting the movie vibe from him at times, there's a reason for that.
> 
> I don't have much to say about Nick snapping at such a small little thing like an annoying kid at the restaurant, as I believe some people may feel Nick going off the deep end would be due to more pressing matters. Just remember, he woke up without power, had a cold bath, caught a cold, had no coffee to keep him running, and had to deal with a ton of crap at work. For me that's pretty bad already. I think the main point to take home is that he hurt a youngling. An adult, especially a stranger should never hurt a youngling in that manner, at least that's what he believes.
> 
> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> I posted this in fanfiction dot net, but I also thought that I should post this here. This is a piece of work that was planned before the movie came out, but I never had much time to write it out. Now that I have, I'd like to share my story with all of my fellow Zootopia slash Wildehopps fans. Note that most of the Wildehopps moments in this story are friendship based, but I certainly feel there is much potential for this pairing to go beyond the boundaries of friendship. Whether or not they'll be a thing, you'll have to read on to find out ;) 
> 
> Thank you for reading, hope you liked it!


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